Hidden
by Corabe
Summary: A serial killer hits Vegas, raping and killing women, but when he decides to play a game of cat and mouse with Nick will he get away with the perfect crime or will Nick with the help of Warrick and Greg stop him in time? Rated M for sexual content and la
1. Lying in Wait

Jacqui is a lab tech and so is wendy

Chapter 1: The Game Begins

He watched from the shadows as the young woman got of her car and walked up the driveway to the two story ranch home. She paused to dig her keys out of her purse, unaware of the mysterious figure watching her from the shadows, clueless to the events that would unfold in the next few hours. He waited for her to unlock her door and then made his move, quietly coming up behind her and putting a gloved hand over her mouth, stifling her screams.

"Shhh, shhhh, it's alright, just turn the knob and walk in slowly, I won't hurt you, I promise." He soothed, shoving her towards the door.

She quickly complied, terrified of the stranger and unsure of what was happening. He pushed her inside and shut the door with his foot, keeping a tight hold of her as he pressed her close to his chest.

"Now listen carefully, if you do exactly as I ask, I won't hurt you, if you don't I will, understood?" He whispered while propelling her forward into her living room. The woman began to sob softly, nodding her head up and down, her body shaking with fear.

"I want you to sit on the couch, don't make a sound." He ordered as he pushed her to the couch. The woman sat and tried to muffle her crying not wanting to upset the man standing before her. He was wearing a ski mask and dressed in black; he pulled out a gun and put it to her temple.

"I want you to undress and lie on your stomach. Now!" He ordered.

The woman who was still crying began to unbutton her blouse and let it fall from her shoulders. The man before took in the milky white skin and slender frame, watching as she unzipped her skirt. She then removed her heels, placing the items on the floor in a small pile. She lay on the couch, on her stomach and turned her head to the cushions as she cried. He ran a gloved fingertip down her spine and then he unzipped, smiling as he did so at the involuntary shiver that went through her. He began to rape her, over and over again until he was satisfied. The woman beneath him continued to sob and shake uncontrollably. He picked up the gun from its place on the coffee table and placed it at the base of the woman's skull. She felt the cold steel and began to plead with him not to kill her; he listened with a devilish grin, relishing the woman's cries.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I promise not to hurt you? I guess I lied." He said with a smirk. He pulled the trigger and then zipped his pants. He took a moment to enjoy his handiwork and then quietly slipped out of the house, leaving the woman alone, blood pooling on the couch.

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Nick Stokes walked into the break room of the CSI lab, hoping that Greg Sanders had made coffee; otherwise he was going to have to take his chances with whatever the last shift had left. Walking in he was met the pleasant aroma of the Blue Hawaiian coffee that Greg was so fond of, he silently rejoiced and poured himself a cup while he sat down to wait for the shift's assignments.

"Hey Nick! Ohhhhh, did Greg make coffee?" Catherine purred as she walked in, taking in the heavenly scent.

"Yes Ma'am, he did." Nick answered with a smile. He continued to enjoy his cup while Catherine poured herself one and then sat across from him. Greg entered, bopping his head to some internal beat and grinned as he noticed the two CSIs quietly sipping the coffee he had made.

"Hey guys!" He greeted as he poured himself a cup and took a seat next to Catherine. Nick and Catherine looked up and greeted him and then turned to face Grissmon as he came in.

"Greg, you made coffee, thank you." Grissom said as he grabbed a cup and sat down to wait for the others. As he settled in Warrick and Sara came in and made a beeline for the almost depleted coffee pot.

"Okay, let's get started. Catherine and Sara you're with me, a DB at the Tangerines. I'll explain on the way. Warrick, Nick, and Greg you have a DB in Four Hills, Brass will meet you there." Grissom instructed as he handed Warrick the assignment.

"Hey can I drive?" Greg asked of Warrick and Nick.

"Haha! Yeah, sure Greggo! If we want to spend half of our shift trying to find the place! I'll drive, meet me in the parking lot and hurry up!" Warrick answered with a grin and as Nick laughed.

"Fine." Groused Greg, knowing that it was a futile attempt to begin with, he headed out after the two men to the parking lot.

A half hour later the three CSIs were pulling in behind Captain Jim Brass's car, spotting the detective a few feet away talking quietly with a uniformed officer. He turned around and saw the three and waved them over.

"What do we have?" Warrick asked as he approached the detective. His kit in his hand and Nick and Greg following behind him.

"A neighbor called it in, a Mrs. Winslow; she came over to check on the victim after noticing that her door was standing open. She stepped inside to see if anything was wrong and found the deceased. Called us immediately, she's over there with Officer Nolan giving her statement. We have a female, nude, gunshot to the head. Who wants to talk to the neighbor?" Brass asked eyeing the three men.

"I'll do it. Greg, why don't you dust for prints on the door and then head inside after checking the perimeter. I'll meet up you and Nick after I'm done." Warrick instructed as he began to walk towards the neighbor who was crying and holding on Office Nolan.

"Alright Greg, you heard the man, lets get started." Nick said as he moved to towards the house. Greg picked up his kit and then set to work on the knob and as Nick entered the house.

Nick took in the crime scene, noting the clothes in a small pile on the floor and the blood on the couch. He began to take pictures of the scene as David from the coroner's office stepped in.

"Hey Nick, how's it going?" David asked as he entered and began to set to work.

"Hey Super Dave, it's going, how about you?" Nick responded. "So, time of death?" He asked.

David took the temperature of the body and then responded. "I would say death was no more than an hour and half ago and caused by a single gun shot wound to the back of the head. I'll know more when we open her up." David answered as he began to load the body.

"Okay, thanks Dave." Nick replied as he began to process the living room. As David was leaving, Greg came in to give Nick a hand.

"I found a set of prints out by the bushes took a plaster cast and pictures. Looks like a size 13. What have you got?" Greg asked as he began to work alongside the older man.

"Victim was shot at close range, nude, time of death was an hour and half ago. How's Warrick doing with the neighbor?" He inquired as Warrick entered the house.

"The neighbor says that our victim's name is Lisa Martin, age 34, single, no family, she works for an advertising agency, but the neighbor couldn't remember which one. She didn't see or hear anything, but she was out at a movie and the house on the other side is empty. Mrs. Winslow returned home about 10:30, saw Miss Martin's door open and became suspicious. She walked in and found her and then called 911." Warrick informed them as he moved towards the kitchen to begin processing.

"So, no witnesses and so far not much evidence to go on either." Nick replied with a sigh as he finished processing the living room. "Hey Greg, why don't you take the bathroom on this floor while I head upstairs and take a look around." Nick said as he moved to the stairs.

"Okay, no problem." Greg answered quickly making his way over. Warrick continued to process the kitchen, coming up empty handed and then headed upstairs to find Nick in the master bedroom, also empty handed.

"I got nothing, you?" Warrick asked as he walked into the bedroom.

"Ditto, nothing, there's a second bedroom set up as a home office and a master bath. I'll finish up in here and meet you in the second bedroom." Nick answered.

Warrick ambled over to the second bedroom and began to process the room. He was soon joined by Greg who informed him that he too had found nothing of interest in the first floor bathroom. Nick finished the master bath and came out to the hallway as Greg and Warrick were leaving the second bedroom.

"Alright, let's head back and start processing what little we have." Warrick announced, Greg and Nick followed and they headed back to the truck.

A set of eyes watched from the empty backyard of the house next door as the criminalists left, grinning as he hid in the dark by the bushes.

"You won't find anything CSIs, I've been doing this for a long time now and you've yet to find anything." He laughed softly to himself as their truck pulled away from the curb.


	2. Getting Nowhere

Chapter 2:

Nick returned to the lab to go over what little evidence they had. He headed down to the morgue to check with Doc Robbins on the body of Lisa Martin. He walked in to find the Doc and David in quiet discussion of their findings. Both looked up as Nick entered the room and Doc Robbins motioned him to come over.

"Nick, you're here about the Martin case?" Doc asked as Nick made his way over to stand next to David.

"Yeah, got anything for me?" Nick replied with a question of his own.

"Cause of death of course was the gunshot to the back of the head, looks like a .38, sent the bullet to Bobby. SART kit shows that she was raped repeatedly just before death, collected DNA and sent it to the lab. No fibers or hair were found." Doc Robbins finished his review and looked up expectantly at Nick.

"Alright, thanks Doc, hopefully CODIS will have this guy and we can nail him. Brass called next of kin and the sister will be in to id the body." Nick answered in a soft tone. He then made his way out of the morgue and went in search of Warrick and Greg.

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"Mrs. Hall, I am sorry for your loss. Would you mind telling me about Lisa? Was she dating anyone? Did she mention anyone giving her hard time at work perhaps?" Brass asked of the distraught woman in front of him.

"She worked at an advertising firm, she was well liked, and she had a lot of friends. She hadn't been seeing anyone, not since she broke up with Brad last year. If someone had a problem with her she didn't tell me, oh God, poor Lisa!" Mrs. Hall moaned as she sobbed on her husband's shoulder.

"What about you Mr. Hall, did Lisa mention anything?" Questioned Brass.

"No, she didn't, I just don't know who would want to do this to her, she was such a sweet person." Mr. Hall answered sadly.

"Mrs. Hall, you mentioned a Brad, can you tell me his last name? Where he lives or works?" Asked Brass as he readied his notepad to take down the information.

"Yes, its Brad Henderson, he worked for the same company Lisa worked for." Mrs. Hall answered while wiping away tears.

"Do you know why Brad and Lisa broke up?" Chimed in Warrick who was standing in the corner.

"Yes, Brad wanted Lisa to marry him and move to Chicago with him. She wasn't ready and he had a job opportunity open with a firm in Chicago. Lisa loved Brad, but she didn't want to leave Las Vegas and her job and her friends. In the end Brad went to Chicago and he Lisa remained friendly, but they went their separate ways. Why do you ask about Brad, you don't think he has anything to do with this do you?" Mrs. Hall questioned both men in alarm.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hall, we're just trying to piece together a picture of Lisa, who she knew, who she worked with, so that we can get a better idea of who did this to her. As soon as we know more we'll be in touch. Warrick can show you out Mr. and Mrs. Hall, and here's my card if you think of anything. I am sorry for your loss Mrs. Hall." Brass soothed Mrs. Hall while pulling out a business card for the couple.

Warrick moved from his corner in the room and escorted the couple out. He gave them his condolences and turned back to find Brass.

"So, we track down Brad and verify that he's in Chicago?" Warrick asked of the Detective as he watched the couple leave.

"Yeah, also I'll send Vega over to the advertising firm where she worked and have him talk to her co-workers in the morning." Brass replied as he pulled out his cell to give Vega a call.

"Tell him I'll meet him there, okay?" Warrick asked of Brass as he turned to leave to the parking lot. On his way out he found Greg and told him what he was doing.

"Hey, where's Nick?" He asked Greg as they left.

"He went to see Doc Robbins and then he headed to DNA, do you want me to give him a call?" Greg asked as they got in Warrick's truck.

"Yeah, let him know what we're doing and see if he wants to go with us." Warrick started the truck and pulled out of the driveway and headed back to the lab.

Brass returned to his office to begin his paperwork, going over his interview notes with Mrs. Winslow and tracking down what information he could about Lisa Martin. Two hours later he had Lisa's work address and next of kin. He sighed deeply as he began to dial the number of Lisa's older sister. Telling the family was always difficult and not something he enjoyed. He spoke briefly with the woman and set a time for her to come to the morgue, quietly hanging up as the woman sobbed on the other end after thanking him. It was going to be a long day Brass thought to himself.

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Nick waited patiently for the DNA results after talking to Greg. Hoping that CODIS would turn something up, there wasn't a lot of evidence to work with in this case and DNA could be their last chance at catching the rapist.

"Nick, come and take a look at this." Jenna instructed as she moved over so that Nick could see.

"What do you have?" He asked as he moved over to stand next to her.

"Well, it's definitely a male. The DNA also matches a cold case in, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Lubbock, Texas, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Unfortunately, it didn't turn anyone up in CODIS, looks like your guy has been doing this for some time and he's smart enough not to get caught. Sorry Nick." Jenna said with a shake of head.

"Damn." Nick muttered as he grabbed up his results and made his way out, stopping he turned in the doorway. "Thanks Jenna." He said as he made his way out of the DNA lab. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Brass, getting voicemail he left a quick message for Brass to give him a call and asked if he could pull up records on the cold cases Jenna told him about.

Sighing he made his way to one of the darkened rooms and began to process the victim's clothes, hoping to find something that would lead them to their rapist.

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Warrick and Greg were running a check of Lisa's credit card activity for the past few months, looking for any hint that may lead them to their killer. Nick came in and sighed heavily.

"I take it the clothes gave us nothing?" Warrick asked Nick as he scrolled through the records on the computer.

"Nothing. No semen, no hair or fibers from the perp, nothing to lead us to a suspect. This guy is clean." Nick as he flopped down on a stool next to Greg.

"Same here, nothing out of the ordinary in her bank statements." Greg took the last sip of his coffee and yawned.

"Well, I don't think we're going to get anywhere with tonight, why don't we call it a night and meet up in the morning to talk to her co-workers." Warrick stood up and stretched and looked to the two men for confirmation.

"Yeah, let's meet at 9, sound good?" Asked Nick as he too stood up and stretched.

"Got my vote!" Greg bounded from his stool and made his way to the locker room, leaving Nick and Warrick quietly chuckling behind him.


	3. Watching

The next morning Brass was waiting for Lisa's older sister to come by. She had told the detective that she would inform their parents who lived in California. The young woman was devastated, but thought it would be best for her to tell her parents rather a stranger. Brass heard footsteps and looked up to see a woman who could have been Lisa Martin's twin sister except for the long black hair and blue eyes, she looked just like Lisa.

"Are you Detective Brass?" The young woman asked hesitantly of the rumpled looking detective.

"Yes, Ma'am, I am. You would be Lisa's sister I presume." He waited for confirmation before continuing.

"Yes, I'm Jessica Martin, Lisa was my older sister. Can I see her now?" Jessica looked down and sniffled, taking a tissue out of her purse and dabbing her eyes.

"Right this way Miss Martin. Is there anything I can get you?" Detective Brass asked quietly, feeling sorry for the lovely young woman standing before him.

"No thank you Detective." Jessica smiled slightly and then motioned for the Detective to lead the way.

Brass escorted the young woman to the viewing room and then knocked on the window to let David know that they were ready. The curtain drew back and Jessica started to sob as she looked upon her sister.

"That's Lisa, oh god, it's her." She continued to sob uncontrollably, her shoulders shaking. Brass motioned David to pull the curtain shut and helped Jessica sit down in the chair behind her.

"Miss Martin, I'm sorry for your loss. Do you want to go somewhere quiet so we can continue?" The Detective asked quietly as he waited for Jessica to calm down.

"No, no, it's fine, really. Do you have questions for me Detective?" Jessica asked sadly as she began to twist the tissue in her hands.

"Yes, if you're up to it Miss Martin." Jessica nodded and Brass continued. "Miss Martin, when was the last time you saw your sister?"

"Two days ago, we had lunch together at the Bellagio; she was really busy with work, but she was just about to close on a huge account that she was really excited about. She had been working pretty late at night to get everything finished up. We were going to go out on Friday for dinner to celebrate." Jessica sighed and dabbed at her eyes.

"Was Lisa seeing anyone or did she mention being interested in anyone?" Brass took notes and waited for Jessica's response.

"No, she hasn't really dated much since she and Brad called it quits. She really didn't have time to start a relationship. She said she didn't want to find some great guy only to lose him because she was working non stop. After this account closed she mentioned that she was thinking about cutting back on her hours." The young woman looked at Brass and then continued as an idea hit her. "She wasn't seeing anyone, but there was this guy at work who kept asking her out. He wouldn't take no for an answer and Lisa was going to go to her boss, Mr. Lewis about it if he kept on."

"Did she tell you this co-worker's name by any chance?" Brass's interest was piqued and he waited as patiently as he could.

"No, she didn't." A crestfallen Jessica replied as she began to cry again.

"Jessica, may I call you Jessica?" Jessica nodded. "Jessica, did your sister tell you about any other problems she may have had with her co-workers?" Brass continued taking notes while he waited.

"No, she got along great with everybody, she was a really sweet person, other than the creep who couldn't take a hint, and she said everything was going great with work. She was tired of working long hours, but that was it." The young woman replied.

"Okay, thank you Jessica. I'm going to give you my card if you can think of anything else. Can I arrange for an officer to take you home?" Brass stood and shook the young woman's hand.

"Thank you, but no, I have friend that drove me here. Detective Brass, will you call me if you find anything more about who did this to Lisa?" Jessica pleaded as tears streamed down her face.

"Jessica, I'll call you as soon as I know anything." Brass promised. He led the young woman back to the main lobby and watched as she made her way out to the parking lot. Chiding himself for letting his emotions get the best of him. He shook his head and made his way back to the dark recesses of his office.

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Meanwhile Nick, Greg, and Warrick were on their way to Lisa's workplace. The trio sat in silence as Warrick drove, each lost in their own thoughts about the case. Warrick was still working on the shoe print, but so far he had no luck and Greg was still scouring her financial records and Nick was had gone over the clothes again. They pulled into the parking lot and were met by Vega who was shading his eyes from the morning sun.

"Good Morning." Vega greeted and the three made their way to the entrance. They entered the building and were greeted by a good looking blonde man behind the front counter.

"Good Morning and Welcome to Starm Advertising, what can we do for you today?" He asked pleasantly.

"Good Morning, I'm Detective Vega, and these gentlemen are with the Crime Lab, we need to see Lisa Martin's supervisor, is that person in?" Vega flashed his badge as the three CSI's waited patiently behind him.

"That would be Mr. Lewis, I'll let him know you're here, would like some coffee or water while you wait?" The receptionist dialed Mr. Lewis's office and looked at the four expectantly.

"No, thank you." Vegas answered for the group as they moved to sit down and wait.

Five minutes later an older gentleman with gray hair entered the lobby and shook hands with the group.

"I'm Mr. Lewis, you're here about Lisa? Her sister Jessica called this morning and told us she wouldn't be in today. Please, let's go into my office and I'll answer any questions you may have." Mr. Lewis turned around and the led the group back to his office, his demeanor grave. They entered a large office of dark mahogany furniture and pale gold walls. Vega and Nick sat in the chairs in front of the desk and Warrick and Greg took a seat behind the two on the dark leather sofa.

"Mr. Lewis, did Lisa's sister tell you what happened?" Vega asked as he made himself comfortable.

"Actually she did not, she just said there had been a death in the family and that Lisa wouldn't be in today. Why, what happened?" Mr. Lewis's face paled in concern as he sat forward and looked at Vega for more information.

"Mr. Lewis, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Lisa was killed last night in her home." Vega let the information sink in before continuing.

"Oh God, Lisa." He murmured. "What do you need from me?" He asked in a grave tone.

"We just have a few questions for you Mr. Lewis. Did Lisa have any enemies here at work?" Vega took out his notepad and prepared to take notes.

"No, she was well liked by everyone in the office, she did an excellent job. Mr. Starm and I found Lisa to be a polite, personable young woman with a good head on her shoulders." Mr. Lewis pulled out a glass and a bottle of whiskey for himself. He took a long pull on the honey colored drink before clearing his throat.

"Did you notice anyone bothering her? Maybe a client, or a co-worker Mr. Lewis?" Vega took note of the glass on the desk top but kept quiet.

"No, not that I noticed, but you may want to talk to some of her co-workers, they would know more than I would." He answered.

"How long has Lisa worked here?" Mr. Lewis took another swig of the whiskey before responding.

"Lisa worked for the company for five years. She will be greatly missed by all of us here." Mr. Lewis began to sob quietly.

"Mr. Lewis, just a few more questions. What was Lisa working on last night?" Vega asked gently of the sobbing man.

"She was working on the Stein account; she just finalized the ad campaign before she left last night." Mr. Lewis drained his glass and poured a second glass.

"Stein, as in Stein Diamonds?" Nick asked in surprise while Vega took notes.

"Why yes, that's the one. We were launching their new ad campaign; we're going to unveil it next week." Mr. Lewis took a swig of his drink and looked down at his desk.

"Okay Mr. Lewis, if you don't mind we're going to talk to Lisa's co-workers. I'll leave you my card if you think of anything else. Thank you for your time Mr. Lewis." Vega handed the man his card and then walked out into the hallway followed by Nick, Warrick, and Greg.

"Okay, how do you want to do this?" Vega asked of the three.

"Let's split up, Greg, you go with Vega and Nick and I'll team up." Warrick decided. Greg nodded and Vega grinned.

"Alright Sanders, let's see what you've got." Vega began walking towards the lobby so he could get a list of employees. The three criminalists compared notes on the Lewis interview.

"So we know she was working on the Stein account and according to Mr. Lewis she was liked by everyone and had no problems." Warrick read over his notes.

"Yeah, so either Mr. Lewis is oblivious or she really was well liked by everybody." Nick looked up from his notes to see Vega heading their way.

"Sanders and I will take this half; you and Warrick will take this half. When we're done we'll meet in the parking lot, agreed?" Vega asked.

"Let's get started." Warrick said as he and Nick headed off to find those on their half of their list.

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Nick and Warrick were getting the same answers that Mr. Lewis had given them. They were down to the last person on their list, an Ashley Jameson, who had been working on the Stein account with Lisa and was close to Lisa according to those they had talked to. They found Ashley in her office, pouring over paperwork and writing notes furiously.

Nick knocked on the door frame and asked, "Miss Jameson, do you a moment?"

Ashley looked up in surprise, "How can I help you?"

"I'm Nick Stokes and this is Warrick Brown, we're from the Crime Lab. We're here about Lisa Martin." Nick spoke softly and Ashley stood up.

"Yes, come in." Ashley was soft spoken, tall, and had short brown hair and green eyes.

Nick and Warrick sat down and Ashley shut the door. She sat down at her desk and waited for the two CSI's to speak.

"Miss Jameson, I'm sorry to have to you this, but Lisa Martin was killed last night. You may have been the last person to see her alive." Warrick informed her.

"I had heard that Lisa had been killed, I just can't believe it. I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt her." Ashley had become pale and started to weep quietly.

"Miss Jameson, what time did Lisa leave here last night?" Nick asked his voice low.

"Somewhere between 9 and 9:15 p.m." Ashley continued to cry, wiping her eyes with a tissue from her desk.

"Do you know if Lisa was dating anyone or interested in anyone, maybe someone she worked with or someone she met outside of work?" Warrick asked as he continued to take notes.

"Not as far as I know. We were pretty close; we talked about just about everything. I think she would have told me if she were seeing anyone." The young woman blew her nose delicately and threw away the tissue before grabbing another one.

"Miss Jameson, did Lisa have any problems with any of her co-workers that you knew of?" Warrick looked up at Ashley and saw fresh tears trailing down her cheeks.

"Yes, Lance Billings. He works in Accounting, he kept asking Lisa out and she kept turning him down. He wouldn't take no for an answer. She was going to tell Mr. Lewis on Monday, as soon as the Stein account was wrapped up. He's such a pig; he kept hitting on her and leering at her." Disgust filled Ashley's voice as she described the man.

"When did he start asking Lisa out, do you remember Miss Jameson?" Nick asked in curiosity.

"About two weeks ago, the last straw was yesterday though. He sent her flowers and she took them set them on his desk. She told him that she wanted nothing to do with him and to leave her alone. Lisa told him that if he kept it up she would go to Mr. Lewis. She told me that Lance was furious and had called her a prissy bitch. We talked about over lunch yesterday." She began to cry again, wringing her hands in despair.

"Okay, that's all the questions we have for now. I'm going to leave you my card, give us a call if you think of anything else Miss Jameson and thank you for your time." Nick handed her his card and smiled softly at the young woman. She took the card and quietly thanked him.

Warrick and Nick made their way to the lobby to meet up with Greg and Vega. They entered the lobby and found the two men sitting in a corner going over interview notes, Greg taking notes.

"Get anything?" Warrick asked of the two.

"Nope, same answers that Mr. Lewis gave us, how about you?' Vega stood up and the group made their way to the parking lot.

"Yeah, Nick and I got a tip from one of Lisa's co-workers; a Lance Billings had been harassing her for about two weeks. She confronted him and told him she was going to go to Mr. Lewis on Monday. Seems he wasn't too thrilled with that." Nick said as he looked over his notes.

"Well, Mr. Billings was on our list, but he called in sick today. Looks like I'm going to be paying Mr. Billings a personal visit. I'll meet up with you after I interview Billings." Vega made his way quickly to his car and the three criminalists made their way back to theirs to return to the lab.

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Carl narrowed his eyes as he peered through the binoculars at the Detective and the three CSIs. He smirked as he watched them split up, the Detective leaving in his Taurus and the CSIs returning to their vehicle. Carl wasn't his real name; he liked to use a different identity for every town he hit. He would kill one, let the police investigate, maybe even find a viable suspect, then he would start to play. He would choose one of the officers or one of the CSIs, someone who was passionate and caring about their work. He would start to send them letters with false clues, taunts, eventually pictures of his handiwork. He would let them get within hours of catching him and then he would disappear, leaving them with a cold case and one of their own to deal with nightmares.

He liked to keep tabs on the one's he played the game with. The CSI in New Mexico had quit six months after his case; the Detective in Oklahoma had shot himself with his service revolver. He had left a simple note explaining that he couldn't get the pictures out of his head and he couldn't take it anymore. That was Carl's favorite, the Detective had been so easy to taunt and so easy to push over the edge. Carl smiled at his remembered and then shook himself; he had things to do, starting with choosing which CSI he wanted to play the game with. He made sure that the CSIs had pulled into the traffic and then started to follow. He had a feeling that he would have someone chosen by the end of the day. He just knew it.


	4. Let's Play a Game

Detective Vega had dispatch pull up Lance Billings address. Mr. Billings lived in an affluent neighborhood not far from the advertising agency. Vega found the address with ease and pulled the car to stop in front of a two story home with a lawn of lush green grass. Shaking his head Vega got out of the car and made his way to the front door. He rang the bell once, waited a few seconds and then rang the bell once more. From deep within he heard someone shout that they were coming. Vega stepped back and waited.

"What?" Snapped a man in his early thirties as he opened the door impatiently.

"Are you Lance Billings?" Vega flipped his badge open and waited for the man to answer.

"Yes I am, what can I do for you?" Mr. Billings asked in a bored tone.

"Mr. Billings may I come in? I have some questions for you about a Lisa Martin." Mr. Billings stepped out of the Detective's way and motioned for him to come in. Vega noticed that the man was wearing flannel pajamas and a robe. He followed him into the living room and settled into an arm chair across from the couch.

"Did something happen to Lisa?" Mr. Billings asked in surprise.

"Yes, Miss Martin was found in her home last night, she has been murdered. I was just at your office and was informed that you had called in sick. I won't take much of your time; I just have a few questions for you." Vega flipped open his notebook and took out his pen before continuing.

"Achoo! Excuse me." Mr. Billings grabbed a tissue. He sighed. "Lisa was murdered? Do you have any leads or any suspects? What happened?" He asked wearily.

"I'm sorry for your loss. Mr. Billings we are investigating Lisa's death but we are unable to give out any information at this time. When did you last see Lisa?" The Detective asked.

"I saw her yesterday. I had sent her flowers. She...ah…apparently didn't appreciate the gesture and she came down to my office and let me have it." Mr. Billings blew his nose and shrugged.

"Where were you last night Mr. Billings?" Vega asked as he glanced up at Mr. Billings.

"Drinking in a bar just off the strip. Place called Domino Joe's. I was pissed about Lisa, she was going to go to Mr. Lewis about me hitting on her and I sat at the bar top until 12:00 drinking Martinis. I stumbled out and called a cab." He sighed once more and sat back on the couch.

"Is that why you called in sick today Mr. Billings?" Vega grinned slightly as he looked up from his note taking.

"Yeah, that and I came down with a cold. I also figured that if I didn't show up today that it might give Lisa enough time to cool off and maybe she would reconsider going to Lewis." He admitted sheepishly.

"Okay Mr. Billings, I'm going to leave you my card. Stay in town for me will you?" Vega dug out his business card and handed it to the man who was now sniffling.

"Detective…I am sorry to hear about Lisa, I really thought she was a great girl." He took Vega's card and sat on the end table before getting up to show the Detective out.

Vega nodded and made his way to the front door while pulling out his cell phone. He made his way to his car and dialed Warrick's number. He left a voice mail and then decided to check out Lance Billing's alibi while he was out.

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Nick, Warrick, and Greg had hit a dead end in the Lisa Martin case. Greg's stomach had started to growl shortly after they had met at 9 and it looked they were going to working straight up to their shift and through it without stopping. He didn't think his stomach would last that long. Finally giving in he decided to see if anyone else was as hungry as he was.

"So, who's up for lunch, my treat!" Greg asked as he leaned back in his chair in the break room.

"I could use a break and now that you mention I am starving." Warrick stood up and looked at Nick.

"Yeah me too. So, we're going?" Nick stood up and rolled his shoulders.

Greg grinned and replied, "There's a diner about 15 minutes from here that serves up some mean pancakes and since it's my treat, I say we go there."

"Alright, but I drive." Conceded Warrick as they headed out.

The three CSI's hit the parking lot and made their way to the truck. They didn't notice the blue Escort sitting across the street and they didn't see it pull into traffic behind them. Twenty minutes later the three were sitting in a corner booth trying to decide what to eat and ribbing each other about their lunch choices. Carl had parked the Escort across the street and had quietly made his way into the diner and sat behind in the booth next to the three. He pulled out a newspaper and appeared to be engrossed in the sports section. He was actually listening to their conversation, learning their names and gathering information on each CSI.

"Oh, hey, Vega left a voicemail, he talked to Lance Billings. Guy said he was at a bar off the Strip last night drowning his sorrows in Martinis and trying to figure out how to save his ass when Lisa Martin went to their boss about the sexual harassment." Warrick flipped his cell phone closed with Greg and Nick digested the new information.

"I take it Vega's headed over to the bar to check out Billing's alibi?" Nick asked as he sipped his ice tea.

"Yeah, said he'd call me when we he was finished. I'm still waiting on the footprint to come back. Did you get anything out of Trace Nick?" Warrick asked in a weary tone.

"Nope, just fibers from the Vic's clothes and the couch, but nothing from the perp." Nick replied as the waitress came by with their order.

The three began to eat and the talk soon turned to who Greg was trying to date in the lab, Warrick's marriage, and Nick's lack of a date. Carl listened intently to the banter and lighthearted conversation deciding that his best chance would be Nick. He ate his lunch silently, still pretending to read the newspaper as the three finished their meal and Greg paid the waitress for their meal. He waited until they had made it to the parking lot before paying for his meal and heading out to his car. Now that they had made his decision he would lie in wait for Nick to return home after his shift. He would stalk Nick for a few days, get a feel for his routine and then he would begin the game. Carl laughed and started the engine; he was going to enjoy this.

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The three CSI's returned to the lab and split up. Greg went through his interview notes and began checking work histories of the employees. Warrick received the results on the shoe print, a brand of work boot that was sold throughout the U.S. in just about every store imaginable. Nick went through his interview notes and also began to check the work records of the employees on his half of the list.

Warrick tracked Vega down in Brass's office and the three discussed Billing's and the elusive Brad. Brass had done some digging and had finally found Brad living in Austin, Texas and recently married. He and his new wife had moved to Austin only a month ago and he started a new job in an advertising firm there. He was saddened to learn of Lisa's death and wished Brass the best of luck in finding her killer. The longer they worked the case the more dead ends they seem to hit.

The shift wore on and with two hours left the three CSI's met in the break room to discuss where they were in the case. They exchanged theories, ideas, and finally they decided to call it a night. They would come back on their next shift after they had slept and approach the case with fresh eyes. The three parted ways and each made their way to their vehicle. Carl watched from across the street as Nick got into his SVU and headed out of the parking lot. Making sure to maintain some distance Carl pulled out and followed him as he made his way home. Soon Nick was pulling into his driveway and Carl drove past. Now that he knew where Nick lived he would go back to his hotel room and start the first letter. Then he would drop it off at the lab for Nick to find when he came in on his shift.

An hour later Nick was sleeping fitfully, dreaming about Lisa Martin calling out to him to help her. He woke with a start and realized it was a nightmare. He slowed his breathing and listened to his heart thumping in his ears. He groaned and then rolled over, waiting for sleep to take him. Finally he fell asleep and this time he didn't wake up until the alarm went off.

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The beeping of his alarm brought Nick back to reality and he rubbed sleep from his eyes. He got up and made his way to the shower, stripping as he went. He showered and shaved and made his way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee and a banana. He dressed and headed into work 10 minutes early wondering if they would find a new lead in the Martin case. He met up with Warrick in the locker room and the two made their to the break room.

On the way, Julie, the night desk receptionist flagged him down, handing him a white envelope with his name scribbled across the front in black ink. He took it with him to the break room as he and Warrick plopped down around the table. Nick carefully opened the envelope and a small piece of white paper fell out. Nick began to silently read, his eyes becoming wide and his breathing ragged.

Warrick realized that Nick had been quiet for the past few minutes and that his breathing sounded different. He looked over and realized that Nick was trembling.

"Nick, man, you okay?" Warrick's voice was filled with concern as he watched Nick.

Nick swallowed and using the edge of the paper moved it in front of Warrick. He looked down and his eyes widened in surprise at the words on the page in front of him.

_Dear Nick,_

_I want to play a game with you. The game is simple, I will leave you clues as to my identity and if you are smart enough to catch before I claim my next victim then you win! If you do not decipher my true identity then I will kill again and again until either you catch me or I move on. Are you ready to play?_

_Yours truly,_

_Carl_

Warrick took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as he looked up at Nick. Nick had grown pale as was staring at the tabletop.

"Nick, I'm going to get my kit and process this okay? Do you want some water or anything?" Warrick asked as he stood up.

"No, no, I'm fine. I'm going to get some air." Nick stood up and walked unsteadily out of the room, trying to even his breathing. He walked out to the parking lot and sat on one of the benches alongside the building, his knees weak and his beating rapidly.

Carl stood across the street, binoculars in hand as he watched Nick from afar. He smiled to himself as he watched Nick make his way outside and knew that he made the right choice when he had chosen Nick to play the game.

"This is going to so much fun Nick, just you wait." Carl whispered before making his way to his car. Now it was time to hunt, he would return later to see how Nick was holding up.


	5. Nigthmares and Promises

Warrick had made it halfway down the hall when it hit him, he and Nick had touched the note and it was a key piece of evidence. He should ask someone who wasn't involved in the case to process the evidence and Grissmon would need to be told. He thought about it for a moment and decided to tell Grissmon and ask if he would process the note and the results. Turning on his heel he headed towards Grissmon's office only to find that the entomologist wasn't there. Grumbling he walked towards the break room and found Greg sipping coffee. He didn't want to wait much longer to get the note processed and decided to ask Greg to do it. He would try to track Gris down while Greg was processing.

"Greg, I need you to process this for fingerprints, you're going to find mine and Nick's on it." Greg who had been sipping a cup of coffee took out a tissue and gingerly grabbed the edge of the note. He paused for a moment taking in the contents and then gasped.

"This was addressed to Nick?" He asked incredulously as he began to walk down the hall, Warrick following him closely.

"Yeah, he was pretty shaken up. I'm going to find Grissom and then check on Nick, page me when you're done alright?" Warrick didn't wait for an answer; he simply took off in the other direction.

Greg made his way to one of the many rooms and pulled on latex gloves and retrieved print powder. He laid the note out flat and set to work, uncovering two sets of prints which he assumed were those of his colleagues. He continued processing and found no other prints. He then sealed it in an evidence bag and ran the prints confirming what Warrick had told him. He took the note to have the handwriting analyzed, hoping that it may provide some answer to who they were dealing with.

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Warrick had searched the lab twice and still had not found Grissom. He spotted Brass and decided that if he couldn't find his supervisor then the Detective was the next best person.

"Brass!" Warrick called out as he rushed over to a surprised looking Brass.

"Warrick." He responded as he waited for the younger man to explain.

"We got a lead in the Martin case, the perp sent a note addressed to Nicky, told him he wanted to play a game. I can't find Grissom anywhere and Greg's processing the note right now." Breathing heavily he leaned against the wall.

"Grissom is in L.A. at a conference with Sara, I want to see the note and where is Nick?" Brass began to walk down the corridor.

"Grissom's in L.A.? Damn. I'll page Greg and see how far he's gotten and I don't know where Nick went. He went to get some air." Warrick pulled out his cell phone and waited for Greg to answer.

"Warrick, I ran the prints and as you said only yours and Nick's were found. I took the note down to George in handwriting and I'm sitting next to Nick on a bench out back." Warrick simply stared dumbfounded at his phone and then flipped it closed. Shaking his head in amazement he turned to Brass to answer his question.

"The note is in handwriting and Nick and Greg are out back." Warrick led the way as he and Brass headed outside.

They found Nick and Greg sitting quietly on a bench staring at nothing. Greg looked up when he heard Warrick and the Detective's footsteps but Nick continued to stare out into space. Greg put a hand on Nick's shoulder and Nick turned his gaze to the three men staring back at him.

"Nick, you okay?" Brass inquired as Warrick stood on Nick's right side.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Greg was just telling me that he wasn't able to lift any prints other than mine and Warrick's." Nick said in a quiet voice. He then looked back at the parking lot to retreat into his own thoughts.

"Let's check on the note, I'm not really surprised about the prints." With a heavy heart Warrick turned back to the lab followed by Brass and Greg. Nick sighed and followed the others back into the lab.

The group made their way to handwriting and spoke to the tech. They learned that the author Carl was right handed and sure of himself. Warrick looked at Nick and noticed that the Texan was staring into empty space again.

"Alright, let's go to the break room and have some coffee and fill Brass in." Warrick ushered the group out into the hallway and into the break room. Greg started a fresh pot of his favorite Blue Hawaiian coffee and the four sat down around the table.

"Nick, when did you get the note?" Brass asked gently.

"I came on shift and was headed to the break room when Julie passed me in the hall and gave it to me." Nick looked at Brass and waited for the Detective to continue.

"Ok, so what did you do next?" Brass had pulled out his notepad and started to take notes.

"I opened it and read it. Then I showed it to Warrick. I didn't realize what it was so I didn't use gloves." Greg handed Nick a cup of coffee and sat down on his left.

"Grissmon's in L.A. with Sara and Catherine pulled a DB at the Bellagio that's going to keep her for some time. It's just us on this one. Nick, I'm not going to let you put yourself in danger." Ignoring a cry of protest from Nick Brass continued, "I need to know if you're up to handling this case."

"I'm fine, I don't need anyone to baby sit me Brass." Nick shook his head and then sipped his coffee.

"Okay, that's all I needed to know. So, do we have any suspects?" Brass asked of the group.

"No, we've cleared the only two that looked good for it. We'll go through the rest of the employees at the advertising firm, but I don't think is someone she worked with." Warrick answered with a frown.

"Unfortunately we can't say for sure that he prefers a particular type of woman to select as his victim either. We've got some cold case files that had the same unknown prints pop, we can look through those and see if there's a pattern to the victim type." Nick spoke quietly, waiting for the group's reaction.

"It's a start. Why don't you three start on that, I'll call Gris and fill him in. I'll tell him not to worry that we've got it under control. I'm going to meet up with Vega; I'll call you if I get anything." Brass drained his coffee and started towards the door as the three got up to leave.

"Oh, and Sanders, good coffee." Brass grinned and made his way down the hall.

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The three CSIs headed into one of the smaller labs and began to pour over the cold case files they had received. Together they created a list of characteristics that the killer seemed to prefer and compared notes. They found that the victims were of various ages, races, and hair color and eye color. Physically nothing stood out. As they delved deeper however they found something each woman had in common.

"Each of the victims lived alone and weren't dating. They were all successful, independent, and responsible. They all worked for big name companies." Nick listed the characteristics they had found as Greg wrote them down.

"The question then is how did he select his victim?" Warrick asked as he crumpled a piece of paper and threw at the waste basket in the corner.

"Well, did any of the women have a service repairman come over? Maybe a cable man or plumber?" Greg theorized.

"It's possible, we should go through the files of each victim and see if they had anyone come to their prior to their death to fix anything." Nick suggested.

"Sounds like a good place to start, I'll take the New Orleans case files, Nick how about you take the New Mexico files since you seem to hit it off with that detective from Albuquerque and Greg you take the Oklahoma files." Warrick handed out assignments and each CSI went their separate way.

Nick contacted the Detective in Albuquerque and left her a message for the woman to call him back. He started to read through the files she had sent him and was soon lost in note taking.

Greg contacted the CSI in Oklahoma who been the lead on the case and was soon taking notes as the CSI went over the case files with him over the speaker phone. Before ending the call the CSI promised to send him everything he had on the case as soon as possible.

Warrick contacted the New Orleans Police Department and after five minutes was connected with a tired sounding Detective who seemed reluctant to talk to Warrick. After an exchange of pleasantries, the Detective asked Warrick for his reason for calling.

"So CSI Brown, what do I owe this pleasure to?" Detective Wood asked in a raspy voice.

"We've got a case that's similar to a cold case you had a few years back. Your vic's name was Mary Black, raped and shot in the head. I was hoping I could pick your brain." Warrick explained.

"Well, I don't know Brown, I'm not sure that's a time I want to revisit. My partner and I drew that case and the three that followed after that. He shot himself shortly after the fourth murder." Wood sighed and waited for Warrick to respond.

"I'm sorry to hear that Detective Wood. It would be a great help if you could give us any information you have. Did your partner receive anything from the killer, a note or pictures perhaps?" Warrick held his breath as he waited.

"Hmmm, how'd you know that? Oh….he's sent something to you has he?" Wood asked in return.

"He didn't send them to me; he sent them to my partner. He's playing a game with us and he's going to kill again. You can help me catch this bastard." Warrick quietly said.

"You think you can catch him?" Wood asked.

"Yeah, I do, but with your help I can nail him." Warrick answered in return.

"Okay, I'll give you what I know; I'll Fed Ex the files over to you. You got an account number I can charge it to?" Wood gruffly asked.

"As a matter of fact I do." Warrick smiled as he gave the account number over the phone.

The three CSI's finished their shift, each feeling the strain of the day. Warrick watched Greg get into his car and waited to make sure that Nick made it to his truck okay before heading to his jeep. He had talked to Brass and an undercover officer would be stationed near Nick's house to make sure that "Carl" didn't try anything while Nick was at home. Brass had talked to Grissmon and somehow had convinced the man to stay in L.A. and let them handle things. Warrick yawned and headed home to his apartment to sleep. He would keep his cell close by just in case Nick needed anything.

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Carl had been working as a cable installer for a cable company in town. He had written up a fake resume and landed the job easily. He had installed cable when he was in Oklahoma, not for very long, but long enough to be able to do it for a living. He hadn't stayed in Oklahoma for long, the hunting hadn't been to his liking and the Detective he had played with was just about to retire and hadn't been much fun. He had been too easy to push over the edge. With a sigh Carl pulled his van to a stop outside of the two story brick home in the suburb and stepped out. He opened the back door to his van and retrieved his tool kit and clipboard. He was here to install one Karen Tulane's cable, deluxe package.

He made his way to the front door and knocked and was greeted by a young woman with long brown hair and hazel eyes. She invited him in and then picked up the cordless phone she had set on the counter and waved him towards the living room as she continued her conversation.

"No, tell Mark that we settle for nothing less than half a mil, it's a take it or leave it deal Lori." The young woman said angrily into the phone. She paused to listen to the other speaker and watched as Carl set to work.

"Lori. Listen to me. You tell that S.O.B. that he either takes the deal or I'll see him in court." Karen hung up the phone and turned to Carl.

"Sorry about that, I get a day off and end up bringing work home with me." Karen put the phone back on the counter and watched Carl.

"No problem Ma'am, I'll be out of your way in no time at all. If you don't mind me asking, do you work for a law firm?" Carl asked in interest.

"Yes, I do. How did you figure that out? Oh, wait the phone call." She laughed lightly and Carl laughed along with her.

"There you go Ma'am, all fixed up. You have the deluxe package and your husband or boyfriend has his choice of sports channels to pick from if he so desires." Carl put everything away and handed the clipboard to Karen.

"Haha, if I had a boyfriend I'm sure he'd enjoy it! I'm so busy these days I don't even get to see my house let alone date." She giggled as she signed the paperwork. Carl smiled and thanked her. She let him out and he headed to the van whistling. He had just found his next victim. Now the fun would really begin.

He continued towards his van and headed to the next job. At the end of the day he would swing by Karen's house again so he could watch her. He would follow her for some time before making his move, but that didn't mean he couldn't toy with Nick in the meantime. He grinned as he drove to his last job; he was starting to like this town more and more.

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Nick drove home, his head spinning and his breathing shallow. He pulled into his driveway and looked in the rearview mirror. Just as he suspected there was the unmarked Sedan and a bored looking plain clothes cop sitting behind the wheel. He knew that Brass would send someone to watch his house and normally he would have been angry, but today he was relieved. After the last year he still hadn't put the kidnapping and the death of Kelly Gordon behind him, he was getting there slowly, but he still had nightmares. He looked once last time in the rearview mirror and grabbed his coat and locked his truck.

Stepping into his house, he threw his coat over the back of the chair. He locked his door and headed to the fridge to grab a bottle of water and then head to bed. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, the day's events catching up to him. He drank down the water and headed to bed. He kicked off his shoes, took off his shirt and jeans and lay down in his boxers. He set his alarm and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

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_Nick could see Lisa Martin sitting across from him, her eyes sparkling and her smile bright. She handed him a cup of coffee from the tray between him and he looked down at the cup of steaming brown liquid. He realized that he was sitting in her living room drinking coffee and that she was dead. Nick dropped the cup and it shattered upon hitting the floor._

"_Oh no! Here, let me get something to clean that up." Lisa exclaimed. As she stood to go to the kitchen she turned her head away from Nick and he saw that her hair was bloody and matted down from the bullet wound._

_Lisa quickly returned and began to clean up the broken cup and spilled coffee. Nick sat in stunned silence, not knowing what to say or do._

"_Nick, he raped me. He put a gun to my head and he pulled the trigger. I had so much to live for Nick. He took that away from me. He took my future away from me. Nick, you have to find him and stop him. Don't let him do this to anyone else." Lisa pleaded as she looked up at Nick._

_Finding his voice Nick answered. "I'm sorry Lisa, I'm so sorry." Nick looked away and then back at Lisa._

"_I know Nick." Lisa smiled sadly and then walked into the kitchen throw away the broken cup._

"_I'll get him Lisa; I promise you I will get him." Nick looked toward the kitchen and found that Lisa was gone and he was alone. _

Nick woke with a start and groaned as he realized that he been dreaming. He rolled over and waited for his heart to calm down before looking at his bedside clock. He had been asleep for two hours; he rolled onto his stomach and closed his eyes as he waited for sleep to reclaim. He prayed that he wouldn't dream this time.


	6. Catch Me If You Can

Nick slept and didn't have any more dreams. When his alarm went off he slowly opened his eyes and shut it off. He sighed and rolled over, the remnants of last night's dream still lurking in his memory. He made his way to his bathroom and started the hot water. He stood under the streaming hot water and told himself that he couldn't let this case get to him; he couldn't let the killer get to him. He turned off the water and headed to his closet to get dressed for his shift. He dressed and made his way to his kitchen for a cup of coffee. He took a peek out of the front living room window and spotted the unmarked sedan with a different cop sitting behind the wheel. He finished his coffee and locked up before heading to his truck.

Nick made his way to the locker room and sat before his locker. He was early for his shift and the quiet was soothing to his frayed nerves. The quiet was interrupted by Warrick sitting next to him.

"Hey Nick, how are you?" Warrick put a hand on Nick's shoulder and squeezed.

"I'm good, feeling better." Nick smiled that 100 watt smile and shut his locker door. He stood and Warrick followed him out of the locker room. He didn't believe Nick was doing better, but he knew now wasn't the time to push the subject. When the time came if he needed to he would push the subject.

They made their way to the break room and met up with Greg and his special blend of coffee. Tonight promised to be a long shift and they had a lot of ground to cover. Each CSI took out his notes and files and they got started. Hoping that would find the answer to the killer's identity before he struck again.

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Carl had watched his newest victim for about four hours from his car and then from the neighbor's yard when he realized that they were gone. He watched her make dinner and a have a glass of wine before settling down at her dining room table to work on pile of files spread across the table top. He watched her get ready for bed, her bedroom was on the ground floor and he could see through her window as she set her alarm for seven. He took note of this, wondering if this was a regular time for her to be up or not.

She had stayed home today, but she did have an office downtown, he had found it in the phone book. He had called asking for her and the receptionist had told him that she was out for the day but expected in the morning. He would continue to watch her for a few more days to see if she had a regular pattern before he would strike. He took out his digital camera and took a picture of her front door, making sure to place his thumb just enough in the picture to obscure the address. He would send the picture to Nick with his next letter and then watch him squirm. He grinned and silently made his way back to his car.

He drove to his apartment, he ditched the hotel room when he got the job with the cable company and hooked up his camera to his computer. This time he would type the note on the computer, he liked to switch the note writing up a little. Before he had always written the notes by hand, but the CSI in New Mexico had come very close to nailing him so he started typing his notes. He thought that was part of the reason she had quit, she almost had him and then he outsmarted her and slipped away. He had kept tabs on her and found that she moved to Virginia and was teaching the cadets at Quantico about Forensic Science. Every so often he sent her a post card to let her know he was still around.

The picture from the camera popped up on his screen. He pulled out latex gloves and snapped them on. He took out a second pair and pulled them over the first pair. He liked to be careful with his work, didn't want to leave any useable prints. He loaded the photo paper into the printer and printed it out. He then typed a quick note and placed both into an envelope, similar to a greeting card envelope. He wrote Nick Stokes across the front in large black letters and set it aside. He removed the gloves and jotted down some notes about his latest victim as he hummed quietly to himself. His next step would be to watch her during her work day which he would do tomorrow during his work day. He wanted to know if she was dating anyone or if anyone had any interest in her, it made it that much easier to get away with what he did.

He also jotted down the license plate number of the unmarked sedan outside of Nick's house and a description of the driver. He had memorized both so that he could lookout for the undercover detective watching Nick's house. He knew there were at least two others watching the house, but he wasn't sure if it would remain the same three or if it would switch. He didn't want to get caught while leaving his gift for Nick; he was taking a risk by leaving the envelope at his home tomorrow. He would leave the envelope and then head over to the next house pretending to be lost.

When he was finished he went into the first bedroom and undressed. He needed to get some sleep before he went to work. He would drop his newest gift for Nick at his house, during the day while he was working. He had an install two houses down so he had to be in the area anyway. He smiled and set his alarm.

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Nick, Warrick, and Greg had gone over everything they had and realized that they weren't any closer to solving the case than they were before. Greg stretched and made his way down the corridor to the restroom and Warrick paced back and forth while Nick lay on the couch.

"We're missing something Nick, there has to be something that we're just not seeing." Warrick continued to pace back and forth and Nick threw his arm over his eyes. He was tired and his head hurt. Warrick's pacing was just causing him to become dizzy.

"I don't know what it is Rick, we've been through the files three times now, whatever it is we're missing isn't going to just jump out at us." Nick sighed and sat up to find Warrick had finally sat down at the table and was now staring into space.

Greg made his way back into the room and plopped next to Nick and leaned back. The younger man settled back into the cushions and yawned.

"So I guess we haven't figured out who the bad guy is." Greg smiled and looked at Warrick and then at Nick.

"No, we haven't Greggo." Nick yawned and then moved to the break room table to start looking over the files again.

Greg stood and poured himself a cup of coffee and sat next to Warrick to start on his pile again.

Five minutes had passed when Greg paused and spoke. "Hey, did you guys notice that in any of your cases each victim had someone come over to do their yard work?"

"Yard work?" Warrick asked in surprise.

"Yeah, all of the victims from Oklahoma City had someone come out from Happy Gardening to do yard work." Greg looked up from his files.

"Well, none of the victims from New Mexico had any yard work done; they did however have a plumber out, all from the same company in Albuquerque." Nick looked his stack to Greg and then to Warrick.

"All of the victims from New Orleans had someone out to repair their roof." Warrick too looked surprised.

"Wait a minute, the last two victims in Oklahoma had cable installed just before they were killed." Greg began to write notes furiously as Nick and Warrick also looked through their files.

"I'm just seeing the plumber in the New Mexico files." Nick answered as he continued.

"Yeah, just the roofing jobs in the New Orleans files." Warrick stacked the files into a neat pile and took out his notepad.

"We have one common thread; each of the victims had a service repair man of some type visit their homes anywhere from a week to a few days before they died. This is how he selects his victims." Warrick theorized to the group.

"What does he do after he chooses his victim? He stalks them." Nick answered his own question and then looked for confirmation from Greg and Warrick.

"He stalks them, maybe for a few days, in some cases he may stalk them for longer until he gets their routine down. Then he waits for the victim to come home and he strikes." Warrick continued with theory as the three began to put it together.

"What about the note he sent Nick?" Greg asked worriedly.

"That's part of the game for him. The detective I talked to in New Orleans said his partner started getting letters and then photos from this guy." Warrick shook his head in disgust.

"Yeah, the detective in Albuquerque said the same thing. One of their CSI's started getting letters and pictures. From what she told me the CSI came pretty close to cracking the case." Nick took a sip of his cooling coffee and then sat in quiet thought.

"None of the other cities were able to get anything from the stuff the killer sent them." Greg stood and stretched and then dumped his cold coffee for a new cup.

"Yeah, but we're the best." Warrick grinned and walked to the sink to dump his coffee. "I don't know about you two, but I'm beat and the shift is almost over. Let's go home and start again tonight."

"Sounds good. See y'all later." Nick stood, gathered his files and then took off down the corridor.

"See you tonight Warrick." Greg turned and followed Nick out.

Warrick cracked his back and then headed towards the locker room. He was looking forward to his bed.

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Carl had woken up early and headed to work. He picked up his assignments and headed to the first home. After an hour installation he headed out to Nick's neighborhood. He had an install down the block from Nick's home. He pulled the van to a halt before Nick's door, slipped on the latex gloves and then the work gloves he carried in his glove box. He put the envelope on the clipboard and stepped down from the van. He made a show of looking at the addresses on each house and then walking to Nick's door. He stood directly in front of the door and quickly placed the envelope in the crack of the door.

He looked behind him and saw the undercover detective was engrossed in a magazine of some kind, a cup of coffee on the dash board. He stepped away from the door and then stopped in front of the house next door and made a show of checking his clipboard. Then he shook his head as he were confused and pulled out his cell phone and dialed his home number. The machine picked up and he spoke into the phone, having a one sided conversation on his machine. From the corner of his eye he saw the detective look up and watch him for a few minutes before losing interest. He laughed into his machine and hung up. He jumped into his van drove a block over to install a basic cable package.

Carl finished the install and drove by Nick's house on his way out of the neighborhood, the envelope was still in the crack of the door and the undercover cop was still reading his magazine. Carl chuckled to himself as he thought about the detective explaining to his boss why he hadn't seen the person who left the envelope.

He drove to Karen's work place and over his lunch break watched her and an older looking man share lunch in a café around the corner from her office. The two spent the hour laughing and cuddling while Carl took mental notes. Now that he knew she was at least flirting with someone it would be easy to place the blame on someone else. The couple finished and at the entrance of the café parted ways, Karen heading back to her office and the older man making his way to his Lexus parked down the street. He watched for a little longer and then drove off to his next install.

Carl finished his work day and returned home to change clothes and exchange the van for the SUV he had traded his car in for. He drove to Karen's neighborhood and found a secluded spot to park about a block from the house. He quickly made his way to the spot he had the day before making sure that the neighbors weren't home and settled down to watch. Within ten minutes Karen pulled into driveway and unlocked the front door. Carl made a mental note to remember that she didn't seem to use the garage and that he would need to come up behind her as she unlocked the door, much like he had done with Lisa.

The next three hours went by and Carl watched Karen pour a glass of wine and make dinner for herself. She watched television and took a phone call. It was now 9 p.m. and Nick would be starting his shift soon. He wanted to be there to see him retrieve his gift. Carl took one last look the window and then made his way back to his SUV.

Twenty minutes later found Carl sitting two houses down watching the undercover officer stationed outside of Nick's house. He noticed that it was a different detective, but this detective appeared to be doing his job unlike his counter part this morning. Carl slipped out of the SUV and stayed within the shadows as he neared Nick's house. He came to the driveway of Nick's neighbor and quietly eased along the wall of the garage. From here he had a clear view of Nick's front door and the white envelope stuck in the door jamb. He was in for a long wait so he hunkered down and waited.

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Nick's cell phone rang at 9:30 and he groaned. He had half an hour of sleep left and the phone had startled him awake. He opened one eye and peeked at the caller id to find that his Mom was calling him. He briefly considered ignoring it but knew that if he didn't answer she would continue to call until he picked up.

After talking to his Mom for 30 minutes Nick rushed to take a shower and get ready for his shift. He grabbed a Diet Coke from the fridge and a power bar. He opened his front door and a white envelope fluttered to the ground. He switched the power bar to the hand holding his keys and soda and kneeled to get a closer look at the white object on his doorstep. His breath hitched in his chest as he looked down at the familiar heavy strokes of his name in black ink. He stepped back into the house and set down his keys, the soda and the now half eaten power bar to grab a pair of tweezers from his bathroom and a Ziploc bag from his kitchen. He returned with the items and carefully used the tweezers to grab the very edge of the envelope corner and carefully place it in the bag. The undercover detective who had been assigned to Nick's house walked up Nick's driveway as he was sealing the bag.

"Everything okay Stokes?" The detective stood next to Nick and watched the CSI carefully.

"I found this on my doorstep. I think it's another letter. I'll take it with me to the lab. You might want to call Brass and let him know." Nick spoke quietly as he stared at the white card size envelope.

"You found it on your door step just now right?" The detective didn't wait for an answer from Nick. "That means that idiot Williams was here when it was left and he didn't see the guy leave it. Shit! Brass is gonna have a fit when he finds out. Are you going to be okay Stokes? I can drive you in if you want."

"I'll be okay. Hell, I didn't even get your name." Nick grinned as he realized that he had been having a conversation with the detective and didn't even know his name.

"Detective Stewart, nice to meet you CSI Stokes. You sure about that ride?" Stewart asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure, thanks anyway." Nick gathered the bag and his keys to lock up and head to work.

"Alright, I'll call Brass, if you need anything call." Stewart headed to his sedan and drove off, leaving Nick in the driveway.

Nick locked his front door and got in his truck while Carl watched stealthy from the shadows next door.

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Carl had watched Nick find the envelope and was pleased with the CSI's reaction. Brave, but with an underlying of fear as his gaze fell upon the envelope. He would savor that look on Nick's face. He had watched Detective Stewart and decided that he would need to be careful when the Detective was on duty; he wouldn't be as lax as the other cop. Carl laughed to himself, it had been so easy to sneak up to Nick's house and leave his gift. He made sure that Nick had headed to the lab, that the detective was gone, and that none of Nick's neighbors were out and about before he headed to his van. He would head home and plan his next move. Killing Karen and watching Nick fall deeper into his trap.

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Nick went to the locker room after he dropped the envelope off in fingerprints with Jacqui. He hadn't even opened it; instead he told her to process the envelope and whatever was inside for prints and then send it to Wendy for DNA. He knew deep down that there would be no prints, nor would there be any DNA, but he had to try. He made his way to the break room and found that Brass was sitting with Warrick and Grissom who had just returned from his conference.

"Hey Griss. Brass." Nick greeted the two older gentlemen before sitting to next to Warrick.

"Nicky, Jim and Warrick have been filling me in on this case you're working. It seems this serial killer has taken a personal interest in you." Grissom peered over the top of his glasses and waited for Nick to answer.

"Yeah, he has. I got another letter from him just before I came in." Nick sighed and looked down at his hands.

"Detective Stewart just called and told me. I'll be having a chat with Detective Williams and he will be removed from the detail." Brass drained his coffee and stood to throw the cup away before heading to the door.

Brass paused at the door and turned to look at Nick. "Hey Nick, be careful, okay?" He quickly left and walked down the corridor.

"Nick, I think you should be removed from this case for your own safety." Grissom took a sip of his coffee and waited for the protest from Nick.

"Gris, c'mon, I'm fine, he's just toying with us, with me, I can handle it." Nick objected.

"Griss, Nick's kept his head through this, he can handle it." Warrick came to his partner's defense.

Grissom sighed, knowing that this would be a battle he would not win easily and if he did win it would result in alienating Nick and possibly Warrick. Against his better judgment he nodded his head. "Alright. Nick, you can stay on the case, but if at any point Brass or I deem that is too dangerous for you to continue, you will back off without complaint. Understood?" Grissom asked sternly.

"Understood. Thanks Grissom." Nick was relieved, he could handle it and he didn't want everyone to feel like he needed their protection.

"Okay, I'll take the files you have so far and do some catching up. I'll be in here if you need me." Grissom pulled a stack of files closer and began to read.

"We'll check on the envelope I brought in. We'll keep you posted." Nick and Warrick stood up to leave.

"Let me know if you get any prints." Grissom never even looked up as the two CSI's made their way out of the break room.


End file.
